February 5th, 2010
Installing Aftermarket Head Units
Are you thinking about installing your own car stereo head unit? Be sure to read this article and figure out what you will need to do to get it done. Upgrading the sound system is usually one of the first modifications attempted when we talk about car customization. The best place to start is with a good head unit. If you plan to install it yourself, read on for some technical tips from our experience installers. You will need a few tools to do the job right, so start by collecting some screwdrivers (flat head and phillips head), a socket set, wire cutters, wire splitters, butt connectors or heat shrinking sleeves, electrical tape, zip ties, solder and a soldering iron, and some patience. The first thing I would do before installing I would suggest buying the stereo wiring harness for your vehicle application. This will make the installation easier for you if you are a beginner, and it allows for easier replacement of the stock radio (if you choose to sell the vehicle in the future) and swapping or upgrading to a different aftermarket head unit. Begin by disconnecting the negative battery cable from the battery. This will ensure that you don’t accidentally cross any wires and burn out a new piece of equipment. Next, remove the old head unit. If you need to see how this is done on your specific vehicle, you can look up your vehicles application on installdr.com. This is a great resource for seeing pictures of how to remove the head unit. Once it is loose, disconnect the wiring harness and the antenna from the head unit and remove it completely. There are two types of wiring harnesses you can get. There is the universal wiring harness that connects to your vehicles existing wiring harness, and has the unfinished wire ends that connect to the color coded wires of your new head unit. There is also a wiring harness that has a harness on both ends, and just clicks in place on both sides. These are the easiest to install, but can be harder ot find to match your vehicle to the head unit. Most wiring harnesses are the universal type, so we will focus on those. If you have obtained the wiring harness, you will notice the color coded wires in the back of the head unit. The wires on the head unit and wiring harness should match. The head unit wires and the wiring harness wires will be partially spliced for easy installation. There are several good ways to connect the wires. One way is to use butt connectors, which crimp the wires within a connector. These can be picked up almost anywhere that sells/installs head units, or at Walmart, etc. My favorite way requires a soldering iron and heat shrinking sleeves. Twist the wires together tightly. Apply just enough solder to weld the two wires together. Now fold them over parallel to one of the wires. Slide the sleeve over the connection and heat it with a heat gun or good hair dryer. I have had to rewire or repair systems where butt connectors were used, but this could be installer error, and not a problem with the connectors themselves. I have never had any of the soldered connections fail. Once all the connections are made, and the sleeves heated and shrunk in place, I like to take a zip tie and tie them all together. Clip the excess zip tie for a clean finished look. Connect the wiring harness of the head unit to the wiring harness connected to the vehicle. Plug in the antenna (you may find you need an antenna adapter in some applications). Now slide the head unit in place, but don’t attach it yet. Reconnect the negative battery cable and turn on the head unit (make sure the key is turned to the ACC position). It should be functioning properly at this point. If you plan on adding an amp, or have purchased one for this setup, turn the unit off and connect the RCA cables. Run them through the dash to the floorboard and to the amp (more on how to successfully do this in future articles). If you encounter problems, you can email <A HREF="mailto:support@majesticmodifications.com">support@majesticmodifications.com</A> for help. Brought to you by <A HREF="http://www.majesticmodifications.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.majesticmodifications.com</A>. Majestic Modifications is your online source for auto parts and accessories, installations advice and technical support.
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Tire Safety: How Old Is Too Old?
When thinking about tire safety, it is important to consider two things: age and use. Vehicles driven daily are typically driven 15,000 miles a year. But there are situations where cars put on even fewer miles. This includes: being driven only on the weekends, never driving in the rain, show cars, and cars that are stored for extended periods of time. So, some tires on these types of cars put on less than 100,000. But it doesn t mean that they are safe tires. Tires deteriorate over time and can age out wear out before they wear out. In a statement from the British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) issued on June 5, 2001 regarding the age of tires they state, “BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tires should not be put into service if they are over 6 years old and that all tires should be replaced 10 years from the date of their manufacture.” Tire age can be accelerated by a variety of environmental factors, such as sunlight exposure and coastal climates. Poor storage and infrequent use of your vehicle are other things that can accelerate tire age. If you keep your tires in ideal conditions, the tire age can go as high as 10 years from its manufacture date. But ideal conditions are the exception rather than the rule. And the worst part is that you cannot tell the safety of an old tire just by looking at it since there are no conclusive tests for the safety of tires without destroying the tire itself! Due to this, some European car manufacturers of high performance sports cars, coupes and sedans have hedged their bets, stating in their owners manuals that the tire age should reach no higher than 6 years. How Better Rubber Makes Tires That Are Safe There have been a lot of changes in rubber compounds since Charles Goodyear discovered how to cure rubber when he baked a combination of natural rubber and sulfur on his family s kitchen stove. Thus, he would convert an unappreciated raw material into many useful products. Goodyear cross-linked sulfur with polymers that, when exposed to heat, would help make rubber durable and at the same time maintain its elasticity. The main focus of new research has been finding tire age inhibitors. Sulfur molecules are one such tire age inhibitor that is reactivated every time they are exposed to heat, making the rubber harder. Nowadays, rubber in tires has oil in it that tends to migrate into the tires under tread/casing and evaporate into the air. In the process of this, the tire compound releases oil and gets harder. If you can t quite visualize this, go into any tire store and take a big whiff. You ll smell the oil there. Before curing, most tires are coated with a mold release agent that is makes it easier to remove from their mold after curing. If it s a little hard to visualize, think about spraying Pam on a fry pan before pouring on the batter for pancakes. This increases the safety of tires because some of the mold release agent gets cooked onto the surface of the cured tire, which prevents all the oil from evaporating. What Is The Right Tire Age? In most cases, most street tires are good for 6-8 years if maintained properly. Don t forget though that this includes the time the tires spent from the manufacturer s plant to the dealer to you. So, keep this in mind when you are determining tire age. Most tires get to you anywhere between 3-6 months. Some stay longer with the tire manufacturer, but generally all tires that go on your car are less than a year old. So, you should not get an old tire from any tire manufacturer. Which Tires Last Longest? If you want to buy a tire based on how long it will last, you have to consider thread compound. The more aggressive its compound the shorter tire life. Below is a list of tires from longest-lasting to shortest-lasting: Max Performance Ultra High Performance tires DOT-legal competition tires Bottom line: if you want to avoid safe tire issues go with tires that last long and properly maintain them.Bob Martin says Don t buy any new tires until you take a serious look at this today http://www.discount-tires-online.com/TireRatings/tire-rating-guide.htm This article is a copyrighted work and does not come with reprint or resale rights and may not be altered or changed in any way including the resource box. The site owner acknowledges that by using this article they accept this condition. The only exception being to bold the appropriate copy i.e. headlines and subhead text.
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Automotive Undercoating by Rust Bullet
Automobiles are beautiful but with time and as your car is exposed to the atrocities of nature like blazing heat, rain, UV rays etc., wear and tear occurs,. All cars require proper maintenance if you want your car to have a long life. Rust is also a major maintenance problem. Car Rust Paint and Automobile undercoating are solutions to car rust problems.Generally, the lower body of an automobile is more prone to rusting then the upper body and therefore requires special treatment like automotive undercoating. The requirement becomes a necessity if you have invested in a vintage automobile as your investment is at stake. But for this very important need, there are very few options of automobile undercoating available in the market. Rust Bullet provides a very effective solution to this automobile undercoating problem for protection from rust. Rust Bullet- Kills the rust!Rust Bullet, is a one step Urethane based patented product that penetrates rust and dehydrates it and seals the area with an armor tuff tough coating. Rust Bullet Automotive can be used as an automotive paint as well as an automotive undercoating. The paint is metallic grey in color and it takes approximately 3 Quarts to do an under carriage with two coats. Rust Bullet automotive is different than the Rust Bullet industrial formula; it is thinner and has more metal so as to give a smoother paintable finish to your car.Advantages of using Rust Bullet Automotive It requires very little prior surface preparation It can be applied directly to the rusty metal surface It has superior adhesion properties It is very easy to apply and maintain It is UV resistantApplication of Rust Bullet Automotive Rust Bullet Automotive can be applied to your car with the help of an HVLP spray system with a 1.3 to 1.5 tip at 40 PSI, at about 2 Mils per coat. For a 10 year warranty a dry film thickness of 6 mils is required. After applying three coats 24-48 hrs later you can apply a top coat with a color of your choice. It is advisable to run Xylene or acetone through the lines of your equipment before & after spraying the first coat of Rust Bullet, to avoid any damage to the equipment. Rust Bullet solves the rust problem with its easy and simple process. Visit the site www.rustbullet.com and try this unique product. David is a well known author who writes for www.rustbullet.com
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